ADAS at Fleet Live

Thatcham and Aviva will discuss the latest thinking on advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) at Fleet Live this year, with a view on the debate on repairability and how new technology is affecting insurance premiums for the fleet industry.

Fleet Live is the leading event for the fleet management community and gives decision-makers the chance to face future challenges and opportunities together with two days of learning, sharing and networking on October 8-9 at the NEC in Birmingham.

The fitment of ADAS on new vehicles is helping to improve safety, but while there are benefits to be seen in terms of a reduction in incidents on the road, the complexity of the technology is also affecting repair cost and methodology.

Vipul Dave, Thatcham UK and global sales manager, said: “There’s a responsibility from the fleet sector when defleeting vehicles to ensure new ADAS technologies have been repaired and recalibrated correctly.

“My session at Fleet Live will look at the first generation of ADAS technology, what is currently available, end of vehicle life-management and to hopefully address a little bit around the scaremongering on autonomous vehicle technology.”

Dave said that while vehicles are becoming increasingly more autonomous the industry is still around eight or nine years away from full autonomy.

He said: “In between that time we will have the stepping stones with the next generation of ADAS technology.”

Dave has over 23 years of experience in the automotive industry, with a background at leasing and rental businesses and will put things into perspective from that viewpoint for delegates at the show.

Thatcham has also been working on a “position paper” that has been building on months of consultation into a consensus approach to ADAS repair and recalibration.

There is currently a debate in the industry over whether repairs should be manufacturer approved or whether third-party repair techniques offer just as good a fix.

Dave said: “There’s been a vacuum of information in the sector and Thatcham is going to put a stake in the ground and explain what is required for the safe repair of ADAS technology.”

Gill Milner, Aviva technical account manager, will look at how safety technology has impacted insurance premiums.

Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) has been the big technology impact for insurers as it’s now standard fit on a lot of vehicles, including the commercial vehicle sector. This has led to some insurers passing on insurance premium savings on to fleets that have vehicles fitted with AEB.
Milner will be presenting Aviva’s statistics on how the business is seeing ADAS impact on insurance and fleets’ risk management strategies.

She said: “I know fleets will want to know all about what premium discounts are available, but there have also been changes in the commercial fleet industry where we have seen an increase in changing lane collisions, while there has been a reduction in low-speed impact and rear end collisions.

“I will look at how ADAS is changing the insurance landscape. Fleets have a difficult juggling at where they’re looking at risk and safety perspective, but they also need to think about operational costs and repair. These are all topics we’ll be looking to debate with delegates at the show.”

Which safety technology is best for your fleet? will be held on day one of the Fleet Live on October 8 at 11am in the Strategy Theatre at Hall 20 of the NEC. For more information on the full agenda and to sign up for a complimentary pass to Fleet Live head to fleet-live.co.uk

Plan your Fleet Live visit

When? 8-9 October, 2019

Where? NEC, Birmingham

Entry? Free! Secure your complimentary pass here